Apparatus and System for Swing Adsorption Processes Related Thereto

ABSTRACT

Provided are apparatus and systems for performing a swing adsorption process. This swing adsorption process may involve passing streams through adsorbent bed units to remove contaminants, such as water, from the stream. As part of the process, the adsorbent bed unit may provide access to the adsorbent material within the adsorbent bed unit without having to remove one or more of valves, conduits and manifolds.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/450618,filed Mar. 6, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 62/310289, filed Mar. 18, 2016, entitled APPARATUS ANDSYSTEM FOR SWING ADSORPTION PROCESSES RELATED THERETO, the entirety ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present techniques relate to a system and method associated with anenhanced swing adsorption process. In particular, the system relates toa swing adsorption process for the removing contaminants from a feedstream utilizing adsorbent bed units.

BACKGROUND

Gas separation is useful in many industries and can typically beaccomplished by flowing a mixture of gases over an adsorbent materialthat preferentially adsorbs one or more gas components in a feed stream,while not adsorbing one or more other gas components. The non-adsorbedcomponents are recovered as a separate product. The separation of gascomponents by adsorption is a conventional technique that is performedin a variety of approaches. For example, adsorptive separations may bebased on the differences in equilibrium affinities of the various gascomponents (e.g., equilibrium separations) or on the differences inadsorption kinetics of the gas components (e.g., kinetics separations).

One particular type of gas separation technology is swing adsorption,such as temperature swing adsorption (TSA), pressure swing adsorption(PSA), partial pressure swing adsorption (PPSA), rapid cycle pressureswing adsorption (RCPSA), rapid cycle partial pressure swing adsorption(RCPPSA), and not limited to but also combinations of the fore mentionedprocesses, such as pressure and temperature swing adsorption. As anexample, PSA processes rely on the phenomenon of certain gas componentsbeing more readily adsorbed within the pore structure or free volume ofan adsorbent material when the gas component is under pressure. That is,the higher the gas pressure, the greater the amount of readily-adsorbedgas adsorbed. When the pressure is reduced, the adsorbed gas componentis released, or desorbed from the adsorbent material.

The swing adsorption processes (e.g., PSA and TSA) may be used toseparate gas components of a gas mixture because different gascomponents tend to fill the micropore of the adsorbent material todifferent extents. For example, if a gas mixture, such as natural gas,is passed under pressure through an adsorbent bed unit, which mayreferred to as adsorbent bed unit or vessel, containing an adsorbentmaterial that is more selective towards carbon dioxide than it is formethane, at least a portion of the carbon dioxide is selectivelyadsorbed by the adsorbent material, and the gas exiting the adsorbentbed unit is enriched in methane. When the adsorbent material reaches theend of its capacity to adsorb carbon dioxide, it is regenerated byreducing the pressure, thereby releasing the adsorbed carbon dioxide.The adsorbent material is then typically purged and repressurized. Then,the adsorbent material is ready for another adsorption cycle.

The swing adsorption processes typically involve adsorbent bed units,which include an adsorbent material disposed within the housing of theadsorbent bed unit. These adsorbent bed units utilize different packingmaterial in the adsorbent bed structures. For example, the adsorbent bedunits utilize checker brick, pebble beds or other available packing. Asan enhancement, some adsorbent bed units may utilize engineered packingwithin the adsorbent bed structure. The engineered packing may include amaterial provided in a specific configuration, such as a honeycomb,ceramic forms or the like. The engineered packing may be formed from theadsorbent material or may be a coating on a structure or support.

Further, various adsorbent bed units may be coupled together withconduits, manifolds and valves to manage the flow of fluids.Orchestrating these adsorbent bed units involves coordinating the cyclesfor each of the adsorbent bed units with other adsorbent bed units inthe system. A complete cycle can vary from seconds to minutes as ittransfers a plurality of gaseous streams through one or more of theadsorbent bed units.

However, swing adsorption processes present certain challenges becauseof several demanding technical factors, such as rapid cycle adsorptionprocesses. These factors may include maintaining a low pressure dropthrough the adsorbent bed, good flow distribution to and within theadsorbent bed and minimal dispersion (e.g., axial spreading) of theconcentration front in the adsorbent bed. Also, another factor mayinclude a rapid cycling time that involves fast acting and lowdead-volume valves. Finally, another factor may be that an adsorbent bedunit should be configured to contain the adsorbent bed at certainpressures, to support the fast acting valves, and to minimize the deadvolume within the adsorbent bed unit.

These challenges are even more complicated for maintenance of theadsorbent bed unit. A conventional rapid cycle adsorbent bed unit isconfigured as a vertical cylinder with flat endplates (heads) forminimizing dead volume. Flow enters and exits the adsorbent bed unitthrough fast-acting valves mounted on the flat heads adjacent to theadsorbent material. The location of the valves on the heads results insignificant challenges for the replacement of the adsorbent bed. Forexample, in a conventional adsorbent bed configuration, the valves onone end of the adsorbent bed have to be removed along with anyassociated manifolds and/or conduits to provide access to the adsorbentbed. The removal of the valves, manifolds and conduits is laborintensive, time consuming and increases the operating costs of thesystem. As such, the replacement of the adsorbent bed in the unit isproblematic.

Accordingly, there remains a need in the industry for apparatus,methods, and systems that provided enhancements to manage the flow offluids to the adsorbent beds. The present techniques overcome thedrawbacks of conventional swing adsorption approaches by providingaccess through the head to the adsorbent material within the adsorbentbed unit. The present techniques lessen the maintenance outage, lessenlabor and cost associated with the maintenance with the adsorbent bedunit as compared to conventional approaches and systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present techniques describe a cyclical swingadsorbent bed unit for removing contaminants from a gaseous feed stream.A cyclical swing adsorbent bed unit may be configured to removingcontaminants from a gaseous feed stream. The adsorbent bed unitcomprising: a housing forming an interior region, the housing includinga body portion secured between a first head and a second head; anadsorbent bed disposed within the interior region; and a plurality offirst valves secured to the housing, wherein each of the plurality offirst valves is configured to control fluid flow along a flow pathextending from a location external to the housing through a conduit andto the adsorbent bed, wherein each of the plurality of first valves hasa valve cross sectional area disposed outside of an interface crosssectional area of the adsorbent bed.

In yet another embodiment, a process for removing contaminants from afeed stream is described. The process includes: a) performing one ormore adsorption steps in an adsorbent bed unit, wherein each of the oneor more adsorption steps comprise: (i) opening at least one first poppetvalve to pass a gaseous feed stream from a feed inlet conduit to anadsorbent bed disposed in an interior region of a housing of theadsorbent bed unit, wherein the at least one first poppet valve is indirect flow communication with the feed inlet conduit and configured tocontrol fluid flow along a flow path extending from a location externalto the housing through the feed inlet conduit and to the adsorbent bed,wherein at least one first poppet valve has a first valve crosssectional area disposed outside of an interface cross sectional area ofthe adsorbent bed, (ii) exposing the gaseous feed stream to theadsorbent bed to separate one or more contaminants from the gaseous feedstream to form a product stream, and (iii) opening one or more productpoppet valves to conduct away the product stream from the interiorregion in the housing to a product conduit; b) performing one or morepurge steps, wherein each of the one or more purge steps comprisepassing a purge stream into the adsorbent bed unit to conduct away atleast a portion of the one or more contaminants in a purge outputstream, wherein the purge output stream is passed through at least onesecond poppet valve, wherein at least one second poppet valve has asecond valve cross sectional area disposed outside of an interface crosssectional area of the adsorbent bed; and c) repeating the steps a) to b)for at least one additional cycle, wherein the cycle duration is for aperiod greater than 1 second and less than 600 seconds. The process mayinclude interrupting the cycle; removing a head from the adsorbent bedunit near the at least one first poppet valve and the at least onesecond poppet valve to expose an opening to the interior region; andremoving the adsorbent bed from the interior region, wherein the atleast one first poppet valve and the at least one second poppet valveare coupled to the adsorbent bed unit. The process may further includedisposing a second adsorbent bed into the interior region; securing thehead to the adsorbent bed unit; and resuming the cycle for the process.Moreover, the processs may include guiding the adsorbent bed unit withinthe interior region with a thermal expansion ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing and other advantages of the present disclosure may becomeapparent upon reviewing the following detailed description and drawingsof non-limiting examples of embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of a swing adsorption system withsix conventional adsorbent bed units and interconnecting piping.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a partial view of a conventionaladsorbent bed unit.

FIG. 3 is a chart of the differences in the detrimental effect of excessdead volume at the respective ends of the adsorbent bed.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams of a portion of an adsorbent bed unithaving associated valve assemblies in accordance with alternativeembodiments of the present techniques.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D are additional diagrams of a portion of anadsorbent bed unit having associated valve assemblies in accordance withalternative embodiments of the present techniques.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6E provide a conduit with various structureelements in accordance with an embodiment of the present techniques.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E and 7F are diagrams of an exemplary adsorbentbed unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present techniques.

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are diagrams of a portion of the adsorbent bed unitand the associated thermal expansion ring in accordance with anembodiment of the present techniques.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and 9E are diagrams of a catch mechanism inaccordance with an embodiment of the present techniques.

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C are three-dimensional diagrams of a swingadsorption system having four adsorbent bed units and interconnectingpiping in accordance with an embodiment of the present techniques.

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E and 11F are diagrams of alternativeadsorbent bed unit configurations in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present techniques.

FIG. 12 is three-dimensional diagram of a adsorbent bed unit disposed inan acoustic dampening system in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent techniques.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless otherwise explained, all technical and scientific terms usedherein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The singular terms“a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. Similarly, the word “or” is intended to include“and” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term“includes” means “comprises.” All patents and publications mentionedherein are incorporated by reference in their entirety, unless otherwiseindicated. In case of conflict as to the meaning of a term or phrase,the present specification, including explanations of terms, control.Directional terms, such as “upper,” “lower,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,”“back,” “vertical,” and “horizontal,” are used herein to express andclarify the relationship between various elements. It should beunderstood that such terms do not denote absolute orientation (e.g., a“vertical” component can become horizontal by rotating the device). Thematerials, methods, and examples recited herein are illustrative onlyand not intended to be limiting.

As used herein, “stream” refers to fluid (e.g., solids, liquid and/orgas) being conducted through various equipment. The equipment mayinclude conduits, vessels, manifolds, units or other suitable devices.

As used herein, “conduit” refers to a tubular member forming a channelthrough which something is conveyed. The conduit may include one or moreof a pipe, a manifold, a tube or the like.

The term “in direct flow communication” or “in direct fluidcommunication” means in direct flow communication without interveningvalves or other closure means for obstructing flow. However, the term“in direct flow communication” may include distributors or otherdistribution mechanisms to distribute the flow along the flow path. Asmay be appreciated, other variations may also be envisioned within thescope of the present techniques.

The term “interface cross sectional area” means the cross sectional areaof an end of the adsorbent bed where the stream enters or exits theadsorbent bed. For example, if a feed stream enters an adsorbent bed ata first end, the cross sectional area of the first end is the interfacecross sectional area. As may be appreciated, other variations may alsobe envisioned within the scope of the present techniques.

The term “valve cross sectional area” means the cross sectional area ofa valve relative to an end of the valve where the stream enters or exitsthe valve. For example, the valve opening may be the valve crosssectional area. In particular, for a poppet valve, a disk element movesto provide a flow passage around the disk element when it is in the openposition. Accordingly, the valve opening formed by the disk element'smovement away from the valve seat is utilized to determine the valvecross sectional area for the poppet valve, which may be the crosssectional area of the disk element. As may be appreciated, othervariations may also be envisioned within the scope of the presenttechniques.

The term “valve cross sectional area disposed at least partially withinthe interface cross sectional area” means that the valve cross sectionalarea is at least partially within the interface cross sectional areawhen viewed along an axis passing directly through the adsorbent bedalong the predominate flow path. For example, the adsorbent bed has aninterface at one end where flow enters or exits the adsorbent bed. Theinterface has a length and a width, while the depth is direction of flowof the stream along the predominate flow path through the adsorbent bed.

The term “valve cross sectional area disposed outside of an interfacecross sectional area” means that the valve cross sectional area isoutside or extending beyond the interface cross sectional area whenviewed along an axis passing directly through the adsorbent bed alongthe predominate flow path. For example, the adsorbent bed has aninterface at one end where flow enters or exits the adsorbent bed. Theinterface has a length and a width, while the depth is direction of flowof the stream along the predominate flow path through the adsorbent bed.

The term “valve cross sectional area disposed within an interface crosssectional area” means that the valve cross sectional area is within orin the interface cross sectional area when viewed along an axis passingdirectly through the adsorbent bed along the predominate flow path.

The present techniques relate to a swing adsorption process (e.g., arapid cycle process) for the removing contaminants from a feed stream(e.g., natural gas) utilizing rapidly cycled adsorbent beds. The presenttechniques balance the dead volume within the adsorbent bed unit withthe maintenance and operability associated with the adsorbent bed unit.In many configurations, the valves are disposed in the adsorbent bedunit's head to lessen the dead volume for swing adsorption processes.However, as the adsorbent material has to be changed on a periodic basis(e.g., once a year, or every two years), the access to the adsorbentmaterial typically involves removing the valves, associated conduits andassociated manifolds to provide access to the adsorbent material. Theremoval of this equipment is labor intensive, introduces failure pointsto the system and extends the time period for maintenance of theadsorbent bed unit. Accordingly, the present techniques provide anadsorbent bed unit that accommodates the necessary access to theadsorbent material, while managing the dead volume of the adsorbent bedunit in a specific configuration to lessens performance problems fromthe additional dead volume. In this configuration, the valves for one ofthe heads have valve cross sectional area disposed outside of or beyondan interface cross sectional area (e.g., cross sectional are defined byan interface to the adsorbent bed).

In contrast to conventional approaches, the present techniques provideaccess to the adsorbent material to accommodate maintenance on theadsorbent bed unit by having the valves disposed outside of theinterface cross sectional area (e.g., outside the head cross sectionalarea). In conventional configurations, the adsorbent bed has aninterface cross section area, which has the valves in direct flowcommunication with the adsorbent bed disposed directly adjacent to theadsorbent bed and within the interface cross sectional area. In thepresent techniques, the valves for one of the heads are disposed outsidethe interface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed and even outsidethe head cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed unit. In particular,the valves for one of the heads are disposed outside the outer perimeterof the adsorbent bed unit's head. Accordingly, the present techniquesprovide access to the adsorbent material through a single head withouthaving to remove other equipment associated with the adsorbent bed unit(e.g., without having to remove valves, conduits or manifolds), whichlessens maintenance costs, maintenance time and damage to equipment,managing the dead volume to an acceptable level, and providing anacceptable flow distribution to the adsorbent bed.

In one or more embodiments, the adsorbent bed unit may be a modifiedvertical cylindrical adsorbent bed unit that is configured to have theflow valves for one head of the adsorbent bed unit not disposed withinthe interface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed or evenpartially within the interface cross sectional area of the adsorbentbed. For example, the flow valves for one head may be disposed on thehead of the adsorbent bed unit directly adjacent to the adsorbent bed(e.g., within or partially within the interface cross sectional area),while the flow valves for a second head are configured to be disposed inan outlying location (e.g., disposed outside the interface crosssectional area). This configuration provides maintenance access to theadsorbent bed. The outlying valve mounting locations may be formedintegrally with the unit's head, or it may be formed in a separate platethat is located between the units flange and the unit's head. Whilesingle valves may be disposed in the different locations, multiplevalves may also be used depending on the requirements of the specificapplication. Also, the valves may be actively-controlled valves and/orpassively-controlled valves. A passively-controlled valve may be openedby the differential pressure acting across its moving element (e.g.,disk element) without the need to otherwise actuate the moving element.

In certain embodiments, various features may be provided to furtherenhance the adsorbent bed unit. For example, a thermal expansion ringmay be disposed between the adsorbent bed and one of the adsorbent bedunit's heads (e.g., the head having valves disposed within or partiallywithin the interface cross sectional area). The thermal expansion ringmay be configured to guide the adsorbent bed, to align the adsorbent bedwithin the adsorbent bed unit, to adjust for thermal expansion and toguide the adsorbent bed during insertion into the adsorbent bed unit.Further, the adsorbent bed unit may also include a temporary debrisfoil.

The debris foil may be used during maintenance to collect any debristhat falls into the adsorbent bed unit during the exchange of theadsorbent materials (e.g., adsorbent bed) and may be disposed betweenthe adsorbent bed and valves near one of the ends (e.g., near one of theheads). For example, if the adsorbent bed is a vertically orientedconfiguration, the debris foil may be inserted into a deflection portbetween the lower valves and the adsorbent bed before the adsorbent bedremoval begins. Then, any debris may fall to the debris foil and beremoved from the adsorbent bed unit. Following insertion of theadsorbent bed unit, the debris foil may be removed and the deflectionport may be plugged for operation.

The present techniques may be used to enhance the swing adsorptionprocesses. For example, the cycle for a swing adsorption process mayinvolve two or more steps that each has a certain time interval, whichare summed together to be the cycle time. These steps includeregeneration of the adsorbent bed following the adsorption step using avariety of methods including pressure swing, vacuum swing, temperatureswing, purging (via any suitable type of purge fluid for the process),and combinations thereof. By way of example, a swing adsorption cyclemay include the steps of adsorption, depressurization, purging, andre-pressurization. When performing the separation at high pressure,depressurization and re-pressurization (which may be referred to asequalization steps) are performed in multiple steps to reduce thepressure change for each step and enhance efficiency. In some swingadsorption processes, such as rapid cycle swing adsorption processes, asubstantial portion of the total cycle time is involved in theregeneration of the adsorbent bed. Accordingly, any reductions in theamount of time for regeneration results in a reduction of the totalcycle time. This reduction may also reduce the overall size of the swingadsorption system.

As may be appreciated, the present techniques may also include variouspressures for the feed stream and the purge stream. As a result, theadsorbent bed unit may operate in a range of pressures from 5 pounds persquare inch absolute (psia) to 1,400 psia. For example, the feedpressure may be based on the preferred adsorption feed pressure, whichmay be in the range from 400 psia to 1,400 psia, or in the range from600 psia to 1,200 psia. Also, the purge pressure may be based on thepreferred adsorbent purge pressure, which may be in the range from 50psia to 800 psia, or in the range from 400 psia to 600 psia.

The present techniques may be integrated into a various configurations.For example, the adsorbent bed unit may include structured orunstructured adsorbent beds, and the adsorbent bed unit may also includeadditional features to facilitate flow straightening and flowdistribution. Also, the present techniques may be utilized, but notlimited to, dehydration prior to and integrated with a cryogenic NaturalGas Liquid (NGL) recovery, which may involve removing contaminants tocryogenic processing feed gas specifications. Other integrations mayinclude liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, or other such plants.Regardless, the present techniques may be used to treat feed streamscontaining excessive amounts of contaminants, such as water and CO2. Thepresent techniques may also be used to remove contaminants to otherspecifications, such as cryogenic natural gas liquefactionspecifications for a cryogenic natural gas liquefaction recovery plant.

In one or more embodiments, the present techniques can be used for anytype of swing adsorption process. Non-limiting swing adsorptionprocesses for which the present techniques may include pressure swingadsorption (PSA), vacuum pressure swing adsorption (VPSA), temperatureswing adsorption (TSA), partial pressure swing adsorption (PPSA), rapidcycle pressure swing adsorption (RCPSA), rapid cycle thermal swingadsorption (RCTSA), rapid cycle partial pressure swing adsorption(RCPPSA), as well as combinations of these processes, such aspressure/temperature swing adsorption. Exemplary kinetic swingadsorption processes are described in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication Nos. 2008/0282892, 2008/0282887, 2008/0282886, 2008/0282885,2008/0282884 and 2014/0013955, which are each herein incorporated byreference in their entirety.

In certain embodiments, the adsorbent bed unit may include a housing,which may include a head portion and other body portions, that forms asubstantially gas impermeable partition, an adsorbent bed disposedwithin the housing and a plurality of valves (e.g., poppet valves)providing fluid flow passages through openings in the housing betweenthe interior region of the housing and locations external to theinterior region of the housing. Each of the poppet valves may include adisk element that is seatable within the head or a disk element that isseatable within a separate valve seat inserted within the head. Theconfiguration of the poppet valves may be any variety of valve patternsor configuration of types of poppet valves. As an example, the adsorbentbed unit may include one or more poppet valves, each in flowcommunication with a different conduit associated with differentstreams. The poppet valves may provide fluid communication between theadsorbent bed and one of the respective conduits, manifolds or headers.

Adsorptive separation processes, apparatus, and systems, as describedabove, are useful for development and production of hydrocarbons, suchas gas and oil processing. Particularly, the provided processes,apparatus, and systems are useful for the rapid, large scale, efficientseparation of a variety of target gases from gas mixtures. Inparticular, the processes, apparatus, and systems may be used to preparefeed products (e.g., natural gas products) by removing contaminants andheavy hydrocarbons (e.g., hydrocarbons having at least two carbonatoms). The provided processes, apparatus, and systems are useful forpreparing gaseous feed streams for use in utilities, includingseparation applications. The separation applications may include dewpoint control; sweetening and/or detoxification; corrosion protectionand/or control; dehydration; heating value; conditioning; and/orpurification. Examples of utilities that utilize one or more separationapplications include generation of fuel gas; seal gas; non-potablewater; blanket gas; instrument and control gas; refrigerant; inert gas;and/or hydrocarbon recovery.

In other embodiments, the present techniques may be used to lessencontaminants of the stream to a specific level by the swing adsorptionprocess. Accordingly, the present techniques provide additional spacefor valves, such as poppet valves, by disposing the valves outside of aninterface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed (e.g., the valveshave a valve cross sectional area disposed outside of an interface crosssectional area of the adsorbent bed for one of the adsorbent bed unitheads). The present techniques may be further understood with referenceto the FIGS. 1 to 8C below.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of a swing adsorption system 100having six conventional adsorbent bed units and interconnecting piping.While this configuration is a specific example of a conventional skid,this specific configuration is for exemplary purposes as otherconfigurations may include different numbers of adsorbent bed units.

In this system, the adsorbent bed units, such as adsorbent bed unit 102,may be configured for a cyclical swing adsorption process for removingcontaminants from feed streams (e.g., fluids, gaseous or liquids). Forexample, the adsorbent bed unit 102 may include various conduits (e.g.,conduit 104) for managing the flow of fluids through, to or from theadsorbent bed within the adsorbent bed unit 102. These conduits from theadsorbent bed units 102 may be coupled to a manifold (e.g., manifold106) to distribute the flow of the stream to, from or betweencomponents. The adsorbent bed within an adsorbent bed unit may separateone or more contaminants from the feed stream to form a product stream.As may be appreciated, the adsorbent bed units may include otherconduits to control other fluid steams as part of the process, such aspurge streams, depressurizations streams, and the like. Further, theadsorbent bed unit may also include one or more equalization vessels,such as equalization vessel 108, which are dedicated to the adsorbentbed unit and may be dedicated to one or more step in the swingadsorption process.

As an example, which is discussed further below, the adsorbent bed unit102 may include a housing, which may include a head portion and otherbody portions, that forms a substantially gas impermeable partition, anadsorbent bed disposed within the housing and a plurality of valvesproviding fluid flow passages through openings in the housing betweenthe interior region of the housing and locations external to theinterior region of the housing. The adsorbent bed may include a solidadsorbent material capable of adsorbing one or more components from thefeed stream. Such solid adsorbent materials are selected to be durableagainst the physical and chemical conditions within the adsorbent bedunit 102 and can include metallic, ceramic, or other materials,depending on the adsorption process. Further examples of adsorbentmaterials are noted further below.

As a specific example, FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of apartial view of a conventional adsorbent bed unit 200. The adsorbent bedunit 200 includes a flat head 202 with valve bores or valve ports 204.The flat head 202 is connected to a flanged cylindrical unit or body 206via bolts 208, which is truncated in this partial view. In this diagram,the valves (not shown) are disposed in the valve ports 204. These valveports are within the interface cross section of the adsorbent bed, whichis based on the diameter 210 and the perimeter 212.

As shown in this conventional adsorbent bed unit 200, the valves, whichare disposed in the valve ports 204, are positioned directly above theadsorbent bed within the perimeter 212 (e.g., within the interface crosssectional area). However, the removal of the flat head 202 to provideaccess to the adsorbent material within the adsorbent bed unit 200involves the removal of the valves, associated conduits and associatedmanifold to provide access.

For most rapid cycle swing adsorption processes, the dead volume shouldbe minimized By way of example, a dehydration cycle for LNG applicationsmay be considered. In such a process, the cycle may include a feed stepthat adsorbs contaminants from the feed stream and a regeneration stepthat removes the contaminants by passing a purge stream through theadsorbent bed, which may be in one or more purge steps. The processinventories for such a process are low and excess dead volume may resultin the process operating off specification. This challenge isparticularly detrimental in processes that involve a temperature swingas part of the process, where the heating fluid temperature is lesseneddue to heat loss in the excessive dead volume.

Further, the excess dead volume may be more problematic on one end ofthe process. For example, the excess dead volume on the product side orproduct end may be more detrimental than excess dead volume on the feedside or feed end. This is a result of the excessive dead volume on theproduct end having cooler gas within that excess dead volume prior tothe start of the purge step. Once purge commences, the hot purge gas inthe purge stream mixes with the cool gas in the excess dead volume,which results in the purge gas being cooled as it is passed to theadsorbent bed. Unfortunately, the cooler purge stream does notregenerate the adsorbent bed as efficiently as a hotter purge stream.Moreover, the additional header volume may increase the surface area andthermal mass in which the hot purge gas is in contact. This results inan increase in heat loss from the purge gas to the surroundings (e.g.,region within the adsorbent bed unit upstream of the adsorbent bed),which also lessens the adsorbent bed's regeneration efficiency.

The detrimental effect of excess dead volume at the respective ends ofthe adsorbent bed are described in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a chart 300 of thedifferences in the detrimental effect of excess dead volume at therespective ends of the adsorbent bed. The chart 300 includes responses306, 308 and 310, which are modeled values of the H2O adsorption inmillimoles per gram (mmol/g) along the adsorption axis 304 relative tothe normalized length of the adsorbent bed (z/L) along the length axis302. In this chart 300, the effect of heat transfer between purge gasand metal surface of excess dead volume is shown through the variousresponses 306, 308 and 310. The response 306 is a modeled response(e.g., solid line) where the dead volume is minimized to 1.6 L, theresponse 308 is a modeled response (e.g., dashed line) where the deadvolume is increased to 19.2 L and both the above effects are considered,and the response 310 is a modeled response (e.g., squares) where thedead volume is increased but only the first effect above is considered.As shown in this chart 300, the primary problem with increasing deadvolume on the product side is the increased heat loss to thesurroundings, which results in a lower regeneration temperature. Assuch, if additional dead volume is required, steps should be taken todecrease heat transfer between purge gas and any metal it comes incontact with.

As noted above, the conventional configuration of the adsorbent bedunit, as shown in FIG. 2, may involve disposing the valves within thevalve cross sectional area disposed at least partially within theinterface cross sectional area. For example, the adsorbent bed may beinstalled inside a vertical cylinder with flanged flat heads on eitherend. Poppet valves may be used to facilitate flow between the adsorbentbed and external locations and may be installed directly on top of theflat heads, which minimizes dead volume for the adsorbent bed unit. Themixing zone is the region between the adsorbent bed and the valve at therespective ends of the adsorbent bed unit. During normal operation, thefeed stream is introduced through one of the valves on the upper headand removed as a treated product through one of the valves on the lowerhead. Similarly, during a regeneration step, a purge stream isintroduced through one of the valves on the lower head and removed fromone of the valves on the upper head. Depending upon the specificprocess, other streams may be introduced into the adsorbent bed unit.Further, more than one valve may be used for a single service or asingle valve may be used for multiple services.

By way of example, for such a configuration above, only four servicesmay be considered for the process. Accordingly, the configuration mayinclude a feed inlet and purge outlet on the top flat head and a productoutlet and purge inlet on the bottom flat head. Each service may use asingle valve, but other configurations may include dual service valves.It should also be noted that the valves may be the actively-controlledvalves and/or passively-controlled valves. In this configuration, theregions between the poppet valves and the adsorbent bed are the deadvolumes. These dead volumes are a mixing zone, where fluid streams fromthe two services on either side of the vessel mix and there is heattransfer to surrounding metal. As may be appreciated, for efficientprocess operation, the mixing zone is preferably minimized However, dueto this configuration, the access to the adsorbent material, such as theadsorbent bed, becomes challenging as the whole valve assembly has to beremoved. This removal may be labor intensive and shorten the lifecycleof the equipment, as the removal of valve assembly may include removingvarious hydraulic connections (e.g., three to seven for each valveassembly).

The present techniques provide embodiments to overcome the limitationson the access to the adsorbent material within the adsorbent bed unit.For example, FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams 400 and 420 of a portion of anadsorbent bed unit having associated valve assemblies in accordance withalternative embodiments of the present techniques. For each of thediagrams 400 and 420, the portion of the adsorbent bed units, which maybe used in a multi-adsorbent bed configuration similar to FIG. 1,includes a body or housing, which may include an adsorbent bed 402disposed within a cylindrical wall and cylindrical insulation layer 404along with an upper head 406 and a lower head 408.

The upper head 406 and lower head 408 may have different configurations,such that one of the heads 406 or 408 may provide access to theadsorbent bed 402. The adsorbent bed unit is coupled to differentmanifolds (not shown) to provide and conduct away fluids to theadsorbent bed. In the diagrams 400 and 420, the upper head 406 do notinclude any valves, while the lower head 408 contains valve assemblies,such as valve assemblies 412 and 414, respectively (e.g., poppetvalves). For the upper region of the adsorbent bed, fluids flow into orout of the upper open flow path volume between the head 406 and theadsorbent bed 402 via valves structures, such as valves 416 and 418,which are connected via different conduit configurations. These conduitconfigurations are discussed further below in the respective diagrams400 and 420. The upper or lower open flow path volume between therespective head 406 or 408 and adsorbent bed 402 can also contain flowdistributors (not shown) which directly introduce fluids into theadsorbent bed 402 in a uniform manner. The flow distributor may includea perforated plate, circular plate or other device that distributes theflow over the adsorbent bed.

If the valve assemblies 412, 414, 416 to 418 are poppet valves, each mayinclude a disk element connected to a stem element which can bepositioned within a bushing or valve guide. The stem element may beconnected to an actuating means, such as actuating means (not shown),which is configured to have the respective valve impart linear motion tothe respective stem. As may be appreciated, the actuating means may beoperated independently for different steps in the process to activate asingle valve or a single actuating means may be utilized to control twoor more valves. Further, while the openings may be substantially similarin size, the openings and inlet valves for inlet manifolds may have asmaller diameter than those for outlet manifolds, given that the gasvolumes passing through the inlets may tend to be lower than productvolumes passing through the outlets.

In this configuration, the interface is the ends of the adsorbent bed402 adjacent to the heads 406 and 408. The interface cross sectionalarea is the cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 402 at therespective ends near heads 406 and 408. For this configuration, thevalves 412 and 414 are disposed within or partially within the interfacecross sectional area, while the valves 416 and 418 are disposed outsideof or beyond the interface cross sectional area, which is defined by theadsorbent bed 402. In addition, the valve cross sectional area for thevalves is defined by the shape of the valve adjacent to the adsorbentbed 402 (or nearest face toward the bed for the valves outside theinterface cross sectional area), while the interface cross sectionalarea is defined by the shape of the adsorbent bed 402. In thisconfiguration, the valves 412 and 414 are in direct flow communicationwith a conduit and configured to control fluid flow along a flow pathextending from a location external to the housing through the conduitand to the adsorbent bed 402, wherein the valves 412 and 414 have avalve cross sectional area disposed at least partially within theinterface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 402, while thevalves 416 and 418 have a valve cross sectional area outside of aninterface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 402.

As noted above, the valves 416 and 418 are outside the perimeter of thehead (e.g., have valve cross sectional areas outside of the interfacecross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 402). In the diagrams 400 and420, different configurations are presented with different flow pathsfor the fluids passing to and conducted away from the adsorbent bed 402.For diagram 400, the valves 416 and 418 provide a flow path through theconduit 417, which is shared between the valves. The flow of the fluidsfrom these valves 416 and 418 has to be diverted to follow thepredominate flow path through the adsorbent bed. In this configuration,the conduit 417 is a 90 degree elbow connected to the head 406 (e.g.,top flat head). On the other end of this elbow, the two valves 416 and418 are installed. The conduit may be flanged such that removing theseflanges can easily provide access to the head 406 and the adsorbent bed402, without having to remove the valve assembly of valves 416 and 418.In this configuration, the conduit 417 alternately is exposed to warmand cold gas streams flowing through the conduit 417 to the respectivevalves 416 and 418. As a result, a large heat transfer loss may bepresent in this configuration.

For diagram 420, the valves 416 and 418 provide a flow path through theconduits 422 and 424, respectively. These conduits 422 and 424 provide acurved flow path from a direction substantially opposite the predominateflow path. As such, the flow of the fluids from these valves 416 and 418has to be diverted to follow the predominate flow path through theadsorbent bed 402. These conduits 422 and 424 are curved into U-bendsthat are connected to the head 406, with each valve 416 and 418installed on the other end of these U-bends. The U-bends may be flangedsuch that removing these flanges can easily provide access to the head406 and the adsorbent bed 402, without having to remove the respectivevalves 416 and 418. In this configuration, each conduit 422 and 424remains at nearly the same temperature throughout the process, as it isexposed to a moving fluid of nearly constant temperature. For example,when the product valve is open, cold gas flow through the conduitconnecting to this valve and the other conduit operates nearly as adead-leg. Similarly, when the purge inlet valve is open, the hot purgegas flow through the conduit connecting to this valve and the otherconduit operates nearly as a dead-leg. As such, the heat loss from thepurge gas stream is minimal The mixing zone is also largely restrictedto the narrow region between the head 406 and the adsorbent bed 402.While a small amount of mixing may occur in the conduits 422 and 424, itis not expected to be detrimental to the performance.

As a further enhancement, additional refinements to the configuration ofthe adsorbent bed unit may be implemented. For example, the adsorbentbed unit may be orientated in the vertical axial plane having fixedconduits integral to the housing that are further attached to a seriesof fast acting process stream valves. The valves may be coupled to aseries of process supply and product headers. The upper most limit ofthe adsorbent bed unit may terminate in a bolt-on cover (e.g., head)used for accessing the adsorbent bed unit's internals, such as theadsorbent bed, and mechanically supports an integral shaped flow vane orflow diverter. Further, the flow vane may be aligned to the processstream valves, which provides a mechanism of distributing the gaseousstream path to and from the adsorbent bed. In addition, the lower mostlimit of the adsorbent bed unit may terminate in a manifold that furtherattaches a series of fast acting process stream valves. The lower mostmanifold supports a similar flow vane having a similar purpose to theupper region.

The adsorbent bed unit includes an adsorbent bed, which may have across-sectional geometry of a circular, a square, a rectangular or otherpolynomial in shape, which is axially aligned to the adsorbent bedunit's vertical axis. The adsorbent bed may be housed in a monolithicmetallic shell or liner having integral flow distribution hardwarelocated on both of the adsorbent beds terminating ends. The adsorbentbed may be concentrically supported and aligned with the upper adsorbentbed termination by a plurality of fasteners. The supporting contactsurface may be integral to a concentric seal ring, which prevents aby-pass gas stream from traveling other than through the adsorbent bed.The lower adsorbent bed may terminate to be concentrically aligned witha series of equally spaced metallic prongs that permit thermal bedexpansion in either axial direction (e.g., with a thermal expansionring). The prongs may limit the adsorbent beds movement in thehorizontal plane.

Further, the present techniques may provide flexible process valveconfigurations. For example, the present techniques may includealternate process valve locations, such as upper most limit valves maybe arranged at any desired angle around the housing perimeter. Also, thevalve placement may be utilized to enhance process stream flow alignmentto the adsorbent bed when opposing valves are not desirable. The presenttechniques further provides alternate process valve placement, such aslower most limit valves that may be arranged at any desired verticalorientation to suit a desired dead volume criteria.

Moreover, the present techniques may be utilized to enhance turnaroundand adsorbent bed unit maintainability. For example, the presenttechniques provide a simple method of accessing, removing and replacingthe internal adsorbent bed without complex or mechanized apparatuses.Once the primary support is un-bolted the adsorbent bed assembly islifted from the adsorbent bed unit in a vertical plane. The replacementadsorbent bed assembly is installed in the reverse order. In addition,the process stream valves located directly below the adsorbent bed maybe protected with a catch mechanism (e.g., a temporary debris foil). Thedebris foil may be installed through a removable cover plate. Theprotective debris foil may lessen or avoid blinding the valve withforeign debris during the unit turnaround and maintenance operations.Further, as another benefit, the removal and replacement of theadsorbent bed assembly without the need to disassembly the processconduits, and associated process valves and their hydraulic utilityservice systems lessens maintenance operations and costs.

Further still, the present techniques provide various cost savingincentives as compared to conventional adsorbent bed units. For example,a conventional adsorbent bed unit with similar services having vesselclosures, which terminate with custom fabricated raised face weld neckflanges, locates all process valves onto a flat closure cover that issignificantly thick to overcome a vertical deflection due to impart bythe valves dynamic loads and minimal material ligament between eachprocess valve. In comparison, the present techniques may utilize asimple closure cover plate having a minimal material thickness in theproposed configurations. Accordingly, to service the adsorbent bed ofthe conventional adsorbent bed unit, the closure cover and all processvalves and adjoining conduits have to be removed to gain internalaccess. Yet, the present techniques do not required a mandatorydisassembly of the process stream valves or adjoining conduits whengaining access to the adsorbent bed unit's internals. Further, theconventional adsorbent bed unit may also require a complex arrangementof conduits to and from all process stream valves that integrate intolarge diameter process piping. In comparison, the present techniquesemploy a simple compact pipe arrangement. The combined savings inmaterial volume and compact pipe-run configuration, which is outlined inthe fore mentioned is a direct dollar savings associated to the; initialfabrication, future maintenance and long range unit operability costs.

The present techniques provide embodiments to overcome the limitationson the access to the adsorbent material within the adsorbent bed unit.For example, FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D are additional diagrams 500, 520,540 and 560 of a portion of an adsorbent bed unit having associatedvalve assemblies in accordance with alternative embodiments of thepresent techniques. For each of the diagrams 500, 520, 540 and 560, theportion of the adsorbent bed units, which may be used in a configurationsimilar to FIG. 1, includes a body or housing, which may include acylindrical wall 502 and cylindrical insulation layer 504 along with anupper head 506 and a lower head 508. An adsorbent bed 510 is disposedbetween an upper head 506 and a lower head 508 and the insulation layer504, resulting in an upper open zone, and lower open zone, which arecomprised substantially of open flow path volume. The open flow pathvolume in adsorbent bed unit contains gas that has to be managed for thevarious steps. The housing may be configured to maintain a pressurebetween 0.1 bara and 100 bara within the interior region, for example.

The upper head 506 and lower head 508 may have different configurations,such that one of the heads 506 or 508 may provide access to theadsorbent bed 510. The adsorbent bed unit is coupled to differentmanifolds (not shown) to provide and conduct away fluids to theadsorbent bed. In the diagrams 500, 520, 540 and 560, the upper head 506do not include any valves, while the lower head 508 contains openings inwhich valve structures can be inserted, such as valve assemblies 512 and514, respectively (e.g., poppet valves). For the upper region of theadsorbent bed, fluids flow into or out of the upper open flow pathvolume between the head 506 and the adsorbent bed 510 via valvesstructures, such as valves 516 and 518, which are connected viadifferent conduit configurations. These conduit configurations arediscussed further below in the respective diagrams 500, 520, 540 and560. The upper or lower open flow path volume between the respectivehead 506 or 508 and adsorbent bed 510 can also contain flow distributors(not shown) which directly introduce fluids into the adsorbent bed 510in a uniform manner The flow distributor may include a perforated plate,circular plate or other device that distributes the flow over theadsorbent bed.

If the valve assemblies 512, 514, 516 to 518 are poppet valves, each mayinclude a disk element connected to a stem element which can bepositioned within a bushing or valve guide. The stem element may beconnected to an actuating means, such as actuating means (not shown),which is configured to have the respective valve impart linear motion tothe respective stem. As may be appreciated, the actuating means may beoperated independently for different steps in the process to activate asingle valve or a single actuating means may be utilized to control twoor more valves. Further, while the openings may be substantially similarin size, the openings and inlet valves for inlet manifolds may have asmaller diameter than those for outlet manifolds, given that the gasvolumes passing through the inlets may tend to be lower than productvolumes passing through the outlets.

In this configuration, the interface is the ends of the adsorbent bed510 adjacent to the heads 506 and 508. The interface cross sectionalarea is the cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 510 at therespective ends near heads 506 and 508. For this configuration, thevalves 512 and 514 are disposed within or partially within the interfacecross sectional area, while the valves 516 and 518 are disposed outsideof or beyond the interface cross sectional area, which is defined by theadsorbent bed 510. In addition, the valve cross sectional area for thevalves is defined by the shape of the valve adjacent to the adsorbentbed 510 (or nearest face toward the bed for the valves outside theinterface cross sectional area), while the interface cross sectionalarea is defined by the shape of the adsorbent bed 510. As an example indiagram 500, if the valve 512 is a poppet valve having a circular diskelement and the adsorbent bed 510 has the shape of a circular prism, thevalve cross sectional area for the valve 512 is the area of the circlehaving a diameter 505, while the interface cross sectional area for theadsorbent bed 510 is the area of the circle having a diameter 507.Similarly, if the valve 516 is a poppet valve having a circular diskelement, the valve cross sectional area for the valve 516 is the area ofthe circle having a diameter 509. In this configuration, the valves 512and 516 are in direct flow communication with a conduit and configuredto control fluid flow along a flow path extending from a locationexternal to the housing through the conduit and to the adsorbent bed510, wherein the valve 512 has a valve cross sectional area disposedwithin the interface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 510 andthe valve 516 has a valve cross sectional area outside of an interfacecross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 510. In other configurations,the valves 512 and 514 may have valve cross sectional areas disposed atleast partially within the interface cross sectional area of theadsorbent bed 510.

As noted above, the valves 516 and 518 are outside the perimeter of thehead (e.g., have valve cross sectional areas outside of the interfacecross sectional area of the adsorbent bed 510). In the diagrams 500,520, 540 and 560, different configurations are presented with differentflow paths for the fluids passing to and conducted away from theadsorbent bed 510. For diagram 500, the valves 516 and 518 provide aflow path through the conduits 517 and 519, respectively. The flow ofthe fluids from these valves 516 and 518 has to be diverted to followthe predominate flow path through the adsorbent bed. For diagram 520,the valves 516 and 518 provide a flow path through the conduits 522 and524, respectively. These conduits 522 and 524 provide a curved flow pathfrom a direction substantially opposite the predominate flow path. Assuch, the flow of the fluids from these valves 516 and 518 has to bediverted to follow the predominate flow path through the adsorbent bed510. For diagram 540, the valves 516 and 518 provide a flow path throughthe conduits 542 and 544, respectively. These conduits 542 and 544provide an angled flow path from a direction substantially concurrentwith the predominate flow path. As such, the flow of the fluids fromthese valves 516 and 518 may experience less pressure drop, while has tobe diverted to follow the predominate flow path through the adsorbentbed 510. For diagram 560, the valves 516 and 518 provide a flow paththrough the conduits 562 and 564, respectively. These conduits 562 and564 provide a curved flow path from a direction substantially concurrentwith the predominate flow path. As such, the flow of the fluids fromthese valves 516 and 518 may experience less pressure drop, while has tobe diverted to follow the predominate flow path through the adsorbentbed 510.

To further enhance the configuration, structural elements may be used inthe passage from the valve to provide near plug flow in the conduit orhousing passage for the valve. This may reduce the amount of mixing andthe corresponding heat losses to some extent. These configurations mayinclude angled flow paths to manage the temperature front as streamsmove in and out of the adsorbent beds. Accordingly, the angle and bendwithin the conduit or housing for the flow into the adsorbent bed shouldmaintain the near plug flow regime through the bend. Accordingly, theconduit or housing that forms the bend may include various structuralelements to provide plug flow balancing pressure drop and thermal massparticipating in heat exchange. For example, FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6Eprovide a conduit with various structure elements in accordance with anembodiment of the present techniques. In FIG. 6A, a diagram 600 of aconduit is shown with structural elements 602, 603, 604 and 605, whichare used to divide the internal passage into nine separate passages.Further, FIG. 6B provides a diagram 610 of a cross section for a singlestructural element 612 dividing the passage into two separate passages.FIG. 6C provides a diagram 620 of a cross section for two substantiallyparallel structural elements 622 and 624 dividing the passage into threeseparate passages. FIG. 6D provides a diagram 630 of a cross section fortwo crossing structural elements 632 and 634 (e.g., perpendicular toeach other) dividing the passage into four separate passages. FIG. 6Eprovides a diagram 640 of a cross section for two parallel structuralelements 642 and 644 and one perpendicular structural element 646relative to the two parallel structural elements configured to dividethe passage into six separate passages.

In addition, for areas outside the adsorbent bed, additional fillerelements or structures may be used to lessen the dead volume. The fillerstructures may include filler material, channels and/or baffles, whichmay be utilized to manage the flow path and lessen the dead volumewithin the adsorbent bed unit. Also, the valves, such as valveassemblies, may be configured to operate (e.g., open or close) via acommon actuation mechanism, such as a lift plate or other actuationmechanism, for different streams.

Beneficially, the present techniques provide various enhancements. Oneenhancement is the ability to change the adsorbent bed without removalof valves, conduits or manifolds. Another enhancement is limiting deadvolume to an acceptable level to achieve acceptable cycle performance.Yet another enhancement is maintaining an acceptable flow distributionto the adsorbent bed inlet.

Beneficially, the present techniques provide various enhancements. Oneenhancement is the ability to change the adsorbent bed without removalof valves, conduits or manifolds. Another enhancement is limiting deadvolume to an acceptable level to achieve acceptable cycle performance.Yet another enhancement is maintaining an acceptable flow distributionto the adsorbent bed inlet.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E and 7F are diagrams 700, 720, 740, 750, 760 and770 of an exemplary adsorbent bed unit in accordance with an embodimentof the present techniques. These diagrams 700, 700, 720, 740, 750, 760and 770 are an embodiment of the adsorbent bed unit in diagram 560 ofFIG. 5D. In the diagrams 700, 700, 720, 740, 750, 760 and 770, thehousing 702 is shown with the valve openings 704, 706, 708 and 710, theupper head 712 and the lower head 714. The valve openings 708 and 710provide a flow path into the interior region of the housing alongrespective curved body portions 709 and 711, which may be a separateconduit or fabricated portion of the housing). Further, the structuralelement 716 may be utilized to support and stabilize the adsorbent bedunit during operation. In this configuration, the valve openings 704 and706 are disposed within the perimeter of the head 714, such that anyvalve installed into the valve openings 704 and 706 have a valve crosssectional area disposed at least partially within of an interface crosssectional area. The valve openings 708 and 710 are disposed outside ofthe perimeter of the head 712, such that the any valve installed intothe valve openings 708 and 710 have a valve cross sectional areadisposed outside of an interface cross sectional area.

FIG. 7A is a diagram 700 of an elevation view of the adsorbent bed unit.FIG. 7B is a diagram 720 of a cut-away view of the adsorbent bed unit ofFIG. 7A. In this diagram 720, the adsorbent bed 722 is disposed withinthe housing 702. Further, the head 712 includes closure cover 724, feedflow diverter 726 and gasket 728, while the lower head 714 includes aproduct flow diverter 730. The closure cover 724 lessens the dead volumeand hinders fluid flow toward the head 712, the feed flow diverter 726directs the feed stream from the curved body portion 709 or 711 towardthe adsorbent bed 722, and the gasket 728 provides a sealing mechanismto hinder flow to the external locations from the head 712. The productfeed diverter 730 directs the product stream from the adsorbent bed 722toward one of the valve openings 704 or 706. FIG. 7C is a diagram 740 ofan exploded view of the adsorbent bed unit of FIG. 7A. In this diagram740, the different components of the adsorbent bed 722 and the head 712are shown. For example, an internal seal 742 is disposed between theadsorbent bed 722 and the housing 702 to hinder flow of any fluids andto lessen or prevent fluid from bypassing the adsorbent bed 722.Further, bed fastening elements 744 are utilized to secure the adsorbentbed 722 to the housing 702, while fastening elements 746 are utilized tosecure the head 712 to the housing 702. FIG. 7D is a diagram 750 of acut away view of the upper portion of the adsorbent bed unit of FIG. 7A,while FIG. 7E is a diagram 760 of an alternative cut away view of theupper portion of the adsorbent bed unit of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7F is a diagram770 of a cut away view of the lower portion of the adsorbent bed unit ofFIG. 7A. In this diagram 770, a thermal expansion ring 772 is disposedbetween the adsorbent bed 722 and the head 714. The thermal expansionring 772 may be a tension ring that secures the adsorbent bed into aconcentric configuration and to provide for axial thermal expansion ofthe adsorbent bed 722.

The adsorbent bed unit in the diagrams 700, 700, 720, 740, 750, 760 and770 may be used to perform swing adsorption processes. For example, theswing adsorption process involves a feed step and a regeneration step(e.g., a purge step) that form the cycle. The feed step may involvepassing a feed stream through the valve opening 708 to the adsorbent bed722 and passing a product stream through the valve opening 704. Once thefeed stream is interrupted, the regeneration step may involve performingone or more depressurization steps and/or one or more purge steps. Thedepressurization step may include flowing fluids from the adsorbent bed722 through the valve opening 710, while the purge step may includepassing a purge stream through the valve opening 706 to the adsorbentbed 722 and passing a purge vent stream from the adsorbent bed 722through the valve opening 710. As may be appreciated, additional processstreams may be included in the process with additional valves in otherembodiments.

As may be appreciated, the vane or diverter for either of the heads maybe configured to manage the flow of the fluids through the adsorbent bedor from the adsorbent bed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the angleof the feed flow diverter 726 (e.g., vane in head 712) may be aboutequal to the angle of the respective curved body portion 709 or 711(e.g., valve conduit) entering the interior region, and this angle maybe selected such that the innermost surface of the conduit and/or vaneprojects linearly to the opposite edge of the adsorbent bed 722, therebydistributing flow across the entire adsorbent bed 722. In a differentconfigurations, the valve conduits, such as curved body portions 709 or711, may be substantially perpendicular to the predominant adsorbent bedflow direction and may be directly opposite each other (e.g., as shownin FIG. 5A). In such configurations, the diverter or vane may deflectthe fluid flow path to prevent flow from one conduit from being directeddirectly toward and entering the opposing conduit. The curved conduitsor body portions lessen any pressure drop as the fluids pass between theconduits and the adsorbent bed. Also, beyond lessening pressure drop,the curved shape of the valve conduits or body portions may be used tomaintain a vertical orientation for the valves, which may lessen wear onthe valve (e.g., valve stem) due to uneven weighting of the valvecomponents).

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are diagrams 800, 820 and 840 of a portion of theadsorbent bed unit and the associated thermal expansion ring inaccordance with an embodiment of the present techniques. The diagrams800, 820 and 840 include an adsorbent bed 802 and portion of the thermalexpansion ring 804 in different configurations.

For example, FIG. 8A is a partial cutaway diagram 800 of an exemplaryembodiment of a portion of the adsorbent bed 802 and a portion of thethermal expansion ring 804. The thermal expansion ring 804, which is inan unloaded or expanded state, is disposed between the adsorbent bed 802and the adsorbent bed unit's housing or head (not shown). FIG. 8B is apartial cutaway of an exploded diagram 820 of the portion of theadsorbent bed 802 and thermal expansion ring 804 within the housing 824of the adsorbent bed unit. In this diagram 820, the thermal expansionring 804 is disposed between the adsorbent bed 802 and the head 822, butremains in an unloaded or expanded state. FIG. 8C is a partial cutawayof a diagram 820 of the portion of the adsorbent bed 802 and thermalexpansion ring 804 within the housing 824 of the adsorbent bed unit. Inthis diagram 840, the thermal expansion ring 804 is disposed between theadsorbent bed 802 and the head 822 and is in a compressed state. Thethermal expansion ring 804 includes various notches 842 to provideflexibility in the loaded or compressed state.

As may be appreciated, the thermal expansion ring 804 has differentenhancement to provide support the adsorbent bed 802. For example, thecurvature of the thermal expansion ring is configured to bend from theunloaded state to the compressed state. Further, the notches 842 in thethermal expansion ring 804 may be used to lessen fatigue of the thermalexpansion ring 804. Also, the thermal expansion ring 804 may befabricated from a material, such as steel.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and 9E are diagrams 900, 920, 940, 960 and 970 ofcatch mechanisms in accordance with an embodiment of the presenttechniques. These catch mechanisms may be used to deflect foreign debristhat may be fall into the interior region of the adsorbent bed duringmaintenance operations, such as exchanging the adsorbent bed. The catchmechanism may provide a path and access to material within the lowerhead or portion of the adsorbent bed unit.

For example, FIGS. 9A and 9B are an exemplary embodiment of a catchmechanism for an adsorbent bed unit. In these diagrams 900 and 920, aportion of an adsorbent bed unit, which may be one of the adsorbent bedunits in FIGS. 4A to 4B, 5A to 5D or 7A to 7F, is shown. In thesediagrams 900 and 920, the portion of the adsorbent bed unit includes anadsorbent bed 902 disposed within a body portion or housing 904 and ahead 906. Valves, such as valves 908 and 910, are attached to the head906 to provide fluid flow paths between the adsorbent bed 902 and anexternal locations.

To deflect the debris within the adsorbent bed unit during maintenance,a catch mechanism may be utilized to provide a seal during swingadsorption operations and to remove debris from the interior region ofthe adsorbent bed unit. The catch mechanism may include a maintenanceport 912 and a debris foil 914. In diagram 900, the debris foil 914 isdisposed through the maintenance port 912 and angled to have any debristhat enters the interior region and moves toward the head 906 to beblocked from the valves 908 and 910 by the catch plat 914. In diagram920, the debris foil 914 is removed and a plug (not shown) is installedinto the maintenance port 912. The plug may be used to seal the port andto hinder any fluid flow between the maintenance port 912 and locationsexternal to the adsorbent deb unit's interior region.

As another example, FIGS. 9C, 9D and 9E are an exemplary embodiment ofanother catch mechanism for an adsorbent bed unit. In these diagrams940, 960 and 970, a portion of an adsorbent bed unit is shown, which maybe similar to the adsorbent bed units in FIGS. 4A to 4B, 5A to 5D or 7Ato 7F, except for the lower valve placements and associated head. Inthese diagrams 940, 960 and 970, the portion of the adsorbent bed unitincludes an adsorbent bed 942 disposed within a body portion or housing944 and a head 946. Valves, such as poppet valves 948 and 950, areattached to the head 946 to provide fluid flow paths between theadsorbent bed 942 and an external locations.

Similar to the configuration above, a catch mechanism may be utilized toprovide a seal during swing adsorption operations and to remove debrisfrom the interior region of the adsorbent bed unit. The catch mechanismmay include a maintenance port 952 and a debris foil 954 and a catchplug 956. In diagram 940 of FIG. 9C, the debris foil 954 is disposedthrough the maintenance port 952 and angled to have any debris thatenters the interior region and moves toward the head 956 to be blockedfrom the valves 948 and 950 by the debris foil 954. Also, the catch plug956 is decoupled from the maintenance port 952 to provide access for thedebris foil 954 within the maintenance port 952 and this portion of theadsorbent bed unit. In diagram 960 of FIG. 9D, the debris foil 954 isremoved and a catch plug 956 is installed into the maintenance port 952with fasteners. The catch plug 956 may be used to seal the port and tohinder any fluid flow between the maintenance port 952 and locationsexternal to the adsorbent deb unit's interior region. In diagram 970 ofFIG. 9E, a top view of the portion of the adsorbent bed unit in FIGS. 9Cand 9D is shown.

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C are three-dimensional diagrams 1000, 1020 and1040 of a swing adsorption system having four adsorbent bed units andinterconnecting piping in accordance with an embodiment of the presenttechniques. While this configuration is a specific example of a skid,this specific configuration is for exemplary purposes as otherconfigurations may include different numbers of adsorbent bed units.

In this system, the adsorbent bed units, such as adsorbent bed unit1002, may be configured for a cyclical swing adsorption process forremoving contaminants from feed streams (e.g., fluids, gaseous orliquids). For example, the adsorbent bed unit 1002 may include variousconduits (e.g., conduit 1004) for managing the flow of fluids through,to or from the adsorbent bed within the adsorbent bed unit 1002. Theseconduits from the adsorbent bed units 1002 may be coupled to a manifold(e.g., manifold 1006) to distribute the flow of the stream to, from orbetween components. The adsorbent bed within an adsorbent bed unit mayseparate one or more contaminants from the feed stream to form a productstream. As may be appreciated, the adsorbent bed units may include otherconduits to control other fluid steams as part of the process, such aspurge streams, depressurizations streams, and the like.

This configuration of the swing adsorption system provides variousenhancement to the operation of the process. For example, the systemincludes valves for one of the heads, such as upper or first head 1008,disposed at outboard locations (e.g., outside the perimeter of the head1008 and the interface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed (notshown)). The other valves for the lower or second head, such as head1010, are disposed at least partially within the perimeter of the secondhead or the interface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed. In thismanner, the adsorbent bed within the adsorbent bed units may be accessedwithout having to remove any valves, conduits and/or manifolds.

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E and 11F are diagrams 1100, 1110, 1120,1130, 1140, and 1150 of portions of an adsorbent bed units havingalternative valve assemblies and manifolds in accordance with anembodiment of the present techniques. The alternative valveconfigurations may be used to manage the distribution of equipment on askid.

For example, FIGS. 11A and 11B are an exemplary embodiment of a firstalternative embodiment for a portion of an adsorbent bed unit. In thesediagrams 1100 and 1110, a portion of an adsorbent bed unit, which may beone of the adsorbent bed units in FIGS. 4A to 4B, 5A to 5D or 7A to 7F,is shown. In these diagrams 1100 and 1110, the portion of the adsorbentbed unit includes an interior region 1102 for housing an adsorbent bed(not shown) disposed within a body portion or housing 1104 and a head1106. Valves, such as poppet valves 1107 and 1108, are attached to thehead 1106 to provide fluid flow paths between the adsorbent bed and anexternal locations. The valves in this configuration are positioned inas non-opposing valves on the same operating plane. The diagram 1100 isa top view of the portion of the adsorbent bed unit, while diagram 1110of FIG. 11B is a side view of the portion of the adsorbent bed unit. Inthis diagram 1110, a catch mechanism 1112 is disposed on the lowerportion of the head 1106, which may operate as discussed above inreference to FIGS. 9A to 9E.

As another example, FIGS. 11C and 11D are an exemplary embodiment of asecond alternative embodiment for a portion of an adsorbent bed unit. Inthese diagrams 1120 and 1130, a portion of an adsorbent bed unit, whichmay be one of the adsorbent bed units in FIGS. 4A to 4B, 5A to 5D, 7A to7F or 8C to 8E, is shown. In these diagrams 1120 and 1130, the portionof the adsorbent bed unit includes an adsorbent bed 1122 disposed withina body portion or housing 1124 and a head 1126. Valves, such as poppetvalves 1127 and 1128, are attached to the head 1126 to provide fluidflow paths between the adsorbent bed and an external locations. Thevalves in this configuration are positioned in as alternative valveplacement in opposing directions. The diagram 1120 is a top view of theportion of the adsorbent bed unit, while diagram 1130 is a side view ofthe portion of the adsorbent bed unit. In this diagram 1130, a catchmechanism 1132 is disposed on the lower portion of the head 1126, whichmay operate as discussed above in reference to FIGS. 9C to 9E.

As another example, FIGS. 11E and 11F are an exemplary embodiment of athird alternative embodiment for a portion of an adsorbent bed unit. Inthese diagrams 1140 and 1150, a portion of an adsorbent bed unit, whichmay be one of the adsorbent bed units in FIGS. 4A to 4B, 5A to 5D, 7A to7F, is shown. In these diagrams 1140 and 1150, the portion of theadsorbent bed unit includes an adsorbent bed 1142 disposed within a bodyportion or housing 1144 and a head 1146. Valves, such as poppet valves1147 and 1148, are attached to the head 1146 to provide fluid flow pathsbetween the adsorbent bed and an external locations. The valves in thisconfiguration are positioned in as alternative placement in the sameoperating plane. The diagram 1140 is a top view of the portion of theadsorbent bed unit, while diagram 1150 is a side view of the portion ofthe adsorbent bed unit.

In yet another configuration, FIG. 12 is three-dimensional diagram 1200of an adsorbent bed unit 1202 disposed in an acoustic dampening systemin accordance with an embodiment of the present techniques. In thisconfiguration, the adsorbent bed unit 1202 includes various poppetvalves, such as valves 1204, 1205, 1206 and 1207. The operation of thesepoppet valves for a rapid swing adsorption process may produce largeamounts of acoustic noise. Accordingly, an acoustic dampening system maybe utilized to suppress the sound produced from the adsorbent bed unit1202. The acoustic dampening system may include various acoustic panels1210, 1212, 1214, 1216, 1218 and 1220 disposed around the adsorbent bedunit 1202. These acoustic panels 1210, 1212, 1214, 1216, 1218 and 1220may be configured to reflect the acoustic waves within the acousticdampening system or may be configured to adsorb a portion of theacoustic waves generated by the adsorbent bed unit.

As may be appreciated, the acoustic dampening system may further includevarious enhancements. For example, additional panels may be provided tosurround the acoustic panels 1210, 1212, 1214, 1216, 1218 and 1220 byforming a secondary acoustic dampening layer around the first acousticdampening layer (e.g., acoustic panels 1210, 1212, 1214, 1216, 1218 and1220). Further, as another example, one or more enclosures may bepositioned surrounding the valves 1204, 1205, 1206 and 1207.

As may be appreciated, the present techniques may be utilized to enhanceswing adsorption processes. By way of example, a process for removingcontaminants from a feed stream may include performing one or moreadsorption steps and one or more purge steps. In performing one or moreadsorption steps in an adsorbent bed unit, each of the adsorption stepsmay include (i) opening a plurality of feed poppet valves to pass agaseous feed stream from a feed inlet conduit to an adsorbent beddisposed in an interior region of a housing of the adsorbent bed unit,(ii) exposing the gaseous feed stream to the adsorbent bed to separateone or more contaminants from the gaseous feed stream to form a productstream, and (iii) opening one or more product poppet valves to conductaway the product stream from the interior region in the housing to aproduct conduit. Each of the plurality of feed poppet valves may be indirect flow communication with the feed inlet conduit and may beconfigured to control fluid flow along a flow path extending from alocation external to the housing through the feed inlet conduit and tothe adsorbent bed. Further, at least one of the plurality of poppetvalves for one end of the adsorbent bed have a valve cross sectionalarea disposed outside an interface cross sectional area of the adsorbentbed. At the other or second end, at least one of the plurality of poppetvalves for the other end of the adsorbent bed have a valve crosssectional area disposed at least partially within an interface crosssectional area of the adsorbent bed. In addition, in performing one ormore purge steps, each of the one or more purge steps may includepassing a purge stream into the adsorbent bed unit to conduct away atleast a portion of the one or more contaminants in a purge outputstream. Then, the adsorption and purge steps may be repeated for atleast one additional cycle, wherein the cycle duration is for a periodgreater than 1 second and less than 600 seconds.

Further, the process may include other enhancements. For example, theprocess may involve moving a common actuation mechanism to open theplurality of valves; passing the gaseous feed stream through a flow patharound a filler material disposed adjacent to the adsorbent bed;distributing the gaseous feed stream to the adsorbent bed via a flowdistributor disposed between the adsorbent bed and the plurality of feedpoppet valves; and/or linearly moving with a feed actuating mechanism atleast one feed valve stem to provide a feed opening between a feed diskelement coupled to the at least one feed valve stem and a feed seatsecured to the housing of the adsorbent bed unit. In addition, theprocess may include the cycle duration being for a period greater than 1second and less than 90 seconds to separate one or more contaminantsfrom the gaseous feed stream to form the product stream; providing agaseous feed stream that is a hydrocarbon containing stream havinggreater than one volume percent hydrocarbons based on the total volumeof the feed stream; and/or maintaining the feed pressure during theadsorption step in the range between 400 pounds per square inch absolute(psia) and 1,400 psia.

To manufacture systems and/or adsorbent bed units, various manufacturingtechniques may be utilized. By way of example, the method ofmanufacturing a cyclical swing adsorbent bed unit may include: forming ahousing having an interior region, wherein the housing comprises a bodyportion, a first head and a second head; disposing an adsorbent bedwithin the interior region of the housing; securing a plurality of firstvalves into the first head; securing a second plurality of valves to thehousing at the end near the second head, wherein the second head doesnot have any valves; wherein each of the plurality of first and secondvalves are configured to control fluid flow along a flow path extendingfrom a location external to the housing to the adsorbent bed, wherein atleast one of the plurality of first valves have a valve cross sectionalarea disposed at least partially within of an interface cross sectionalarea of the adsorbent bed and wherein each of the plurality of secondvalves have a valve cross sectional area disposed outside of aninterface cross sectional area of the adsorbent bed and/or the secondhead's cross sectional area.

In one or more embodiments, the material may include an adsorbentmaterial supported on a non-adsorbent support. Non-limiting examples ofadsorbent materials may include alumina, microporous zeolites, carbons,cationic zeolites, high silica zeolites, highly siliceous orderedmesoporous materials, sol gel materials, aluminum phosphorous and oxygen(ALPO) materials (microporous and mesoporous materials containingpredominantly aluminum phosphorous and oxygen), silicon aluminumphosphorous and oxygen (SAPO) materials (microporous and mesoporousmaterials containing predominantly silicon aluminum phosphorous andoxygen), metal organic framework (MOF) materials (microporous andmesoporous materials comprised of a metal organic framework) andzeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) materials (microporous andmesoporous materials comprised of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks).Other materials include microporous and mesoporous sorbentsfunctionalized with functional groups. Examples of functional groups,which may be used for CO₂ removal, may include primary, secondary,tertiary and other non protogenic basic groups such as amidines,guanidines and biguanides.

In one or more embodiments, the adsorbent bed unit may be utilized toseparate contaminants from a feed stream. The method may include passinga gaseous feed stream at a feed pressure through an adsorbent bed unithaving an adsorbent contactor to separate one or more contaminants fromthe gaseous feed stream to form a product stream; interrupting the flowof the gaseous feed stream; performing a depressurization step, whereinthe depressurization step reduces the pressure within the adsorbent bedunit; performing a purge step, wherein the purge step reduces thepressure within the adsorbent bed unit; performing a re-pressurizationstep, wherein the re-pressurization step increases the pressure withinthe adsorbent bed unit; and repeating the steps a) to e) for at leastone additional cycle.

Further, in one or more embodiments, the adsorbent bed unit may includean adsorbent bed that can be used for the separation of a target gasform a gaseous mixture. The adsorbent is usually comprised of anadsorbent material supported on a non-adsorbent support, or contactor.Such contactors contain substantially parallel flow channels wherein 20volume percent, preferably 15 volume percent or less of the open porevolume of the contactor, excluding the flow channels, is in poresgreater than about 20 angstroms. A flow channel is taken to be thatportion of the contactor in which gas flows, if a steady state pressuredifference is applied between the point or place at which a feed streamenters the contactor and the point or place at which a product streamleaves the contactor. In the contactor, the adsorbent is incorporatedinto the wall of the flow channel.

In yet another embodiment, a cyclical swing adsorbent bed unit forremoving contaminants from a gaseous feed stream is described. Theadsorbent bed unit comprising: a housing forming an interior region; anadsorbent bed disposed within the interior region; and a plurality ofvalves secured to the housing, wherein each of the plurality of valvesis configured to control fluid flow along a flow path extending from alocation external to the housing through a conduit and to the adsorbentbed, wherein one of the heads does not have any valves disposed withinthe perimeter of the head or within the head's cross sectional.

Further, the adsorbent bed units may include actively-controlled poppetvalves and passively-controlled valves. The actively-controlled poppetvalves, which may be referred to as actively-controlled poppet valveassemblies, may each include stem element secured to a disk element thatis seatable within the head or a disk element that is seatable within aseparate valve seat inserted within the head. The stem element may beconnected to an actuating mechanism, such as electro-hydraulic orelectro-pneumatic actuating mechanisms, which is configured to have therespective valve impart linear motion to the respective stem element. Asmay be appreciated, the actuating mechanism may be operatedindependently for different steps in the process to activate a singlevalve or a single actuating mechanism may be utilized to control two ormore valves. As an example, opening an actively-controlled poppet valvemay include linearly moving with a actuating mechanism at least onevalve stem to provide an opening between a disk element coupled to theat least one valve stem and a seat secured to the housing of theadsorbent bed unit. As another example, opening actively-controlledpoppet valves may include linearly moving a lift plate secured to thevalve stems with an actuating mechanism to provide openings, whereineach of the valve stems is secured to a disk element and each of theopenings forms a gap or flow path between the disk element and anassociated seat secured to the housing of the adsorbent bed unit.

The passively-controlled valve may include passively-controlled poppetvalves, passively-controlled check valves, passively-controlled reedvalves, and the other suitable passively-controlled valves. For example,the passively-controlled poppet valves, which may be referred to aspassively-controlled poppet valve assemblies, may each include stemelement secured to a disk element that is seatable within the head or adisk element that is seatable within a separate valve seat insertedwithin the head. The stem element may be connected to a biasingmechanism, such as a spring or other biasing mechanisms, which isconfigured to have the respective valve impart linear motion to therespective stem element. As may be appreciated, the biasing mechanismmay be operated independently for different steps in the process and maybe activated based on a pressure differential to activate a single valveor two or more valves. One configuration of a passively-controlledpoppet valve may include a spring-loaded passively-controlled poppetvalve. In this spring-loaded configuration, the disk element may be anintegral component with a hollow stem element, which has the springsdisposed at least partially within the hollow stem element. As anexample, the opening of passively-controlled poppet valves may includelinearly moving with a product biasing mechanism at least one productvalve stem to provide a product opening between a product disk elementcoupled to the at least one product valve stem and a product seatsecured to the housing of the adsorbent bed unit. The product biasingmechanism may be configured to move linearly based on a pressuredifferential between the interior region and the product conduitexceeding a specific threshold. In other configurations, the linearmovement based on the pressure differential may be different for variousvalves operating in phase. For example, the passively-controlled valvesoperating in phase may involve a range or a differential window of lessthan 25%, less than 20% or less than 10% (e.g., differential window maybe calculated as the highest pressure differential minus the lowestpressure differential with that difference being divided by the highestpressure differential). As another example, a passively-controlled valvemay also be configured as a reed-valve comprised of a flexible strip ofmetal or composite material anchored on one end and bending to open thepassively controlled flow area. The passively-controlled reed valve maybe utilized to provide more flow at a given differential pressure in agiven footprint.

In one or more embodiments, the rapid cycle swing adsorption process inthe present techniques is a rapid cycle temperature swing adsorption(RCTSA) and a pressure swing adsorption (PSA). For RCTSA the total cycletimes are typically less than 600 seconds, preferably less than 200seconds, more preferably less than 100 seconds, and even more preferablyless than 60 seconds.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of thedisclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that theillustrative embodiments are only preferred examples of the inventionand should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for removing contaminants from a feedstream, the process comprising: a) performing one or more adsorptionsteps in an adsorbent bed unit, wherein each of the one or moreadsorption steps comprise: (i) opening at least one first poppet valveto pass a gaseous feed stream from a feed inlet conduit to an adsorbentbed disposed in an interior region of a housing of the adsorbent bedunit, wherein the at least one first poppet valve is in direct flowcommunication with the feed inlet conduit and configured to controlfluid flow along a flow path extending from a location external to thehousing through the feed inlet conduit and to the adsorbent bed, whereinat least one first poppet valve has a first valve cross sectional areadisposed outside of an interface cross sectional area of the adsorbentbed, (ii) exposing the gaseous feed stream to the adsorbent bed toseparate one or more contaminants from the gaseous feed stream to form aproduct stream, and (iii) opening one or more product poppet valves toconduct away the product stream from the interior region in the housingto a product conduit; b) performing one or more purge steps, whereineach of the one or more purge steps comprise passing a purge stream intothe adsorbent bed unit to conduct away at least a portion of the one ormore contaminants in a purge output stream, wherein the purge outputstream is passed through at least one second poppet valve, wherein atleast one second poppet valve has a second valve cross sectional areadisposed outside of an interface cross sectional area of the adsorbentbed; and c) repeating the steps a) to b) for at least one additionalcycle, wherein the cycle duration is for a period greater than 1 secondand less than 600 seconds.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the atleast one first poppet valve and the at least one second poppet valveare in direct fluid communication with the adsorbent bed through aconduit.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one firstpoppet valve is in direct fluid communication with the adsorbent bedthrough a first conduit and the at least one second poppet valve is indirect fluid communication with the adsorbent bed through a secondconduit.
 4. The process of claim 1, wherein the opening the plurality offeed poppet valves further comprises distributing the gaseous feedstream to the adsorbent bed via a flow diverter disposed between theadsorbent bed and the at least one first poppet valve.
 5. The process ofclaim 1, wherein opening the at least one first poppet valve furthercomprise linearly moving with a first actuating mechanism at least onevalve stem to provide an opening between a disk element coupled to theat least one valve stem and a seat secured to a portion of the adsorbentbed unit.
 6. The process of claim 1, further comprising: interruptingthe cycle; removing a head from the adsorbent bed unit near the at leastone first poppet valve and the at least one second poppet valve toexpose an opening to the interior region; and removing the adsorbent bedfrom the interior region, wherein the at least one first poppet valveand the at least one second poppet valve are coupled to the adsorbentbed unit.
 7. The process of claim 6, further comprising: disposing asecond adsorbent bed into the interior region; securing the head to theadsorbent bed unit; and resuming the cycle for the process.
 8. Theprocess of claim 6, further comprising guiding the adsorbent bed unitwithin the interior region with a thermal expansion ring.
 9. The processof claim 6, further comprising: inserting a debris foil into a portprior to removing the head.
 10. The process of claim 6, wherein removingthe adsorbent bed from the interior region does not involve removing anyof one or more of the at least one first poppet valve, the at least onesecond poppet valve or any associated conduits from the adsorbent bedunit.
 11. The process of claim 1, wherein: the housing includes a bodyportion secured between a first head and a second head; the at least onefirst poppet valve is secured to the housing; and the adsorbent bed iscomprised of an adsorbent material supported on a non-adsorbent support,such support containing substantially parallel flow channels; and theadsorbent bed may be removed and replaced by access to the interiorregion which is achieved by removing the first head without removing theat least one first poppet valve from the housing.
 12. The process ofclaim 11, wherein: the at least one first poppet valve is one of aplurality of first poppet valves wherein the plurality of first poppetvalves are secured to the housing; and the adsorbent bed may be removedand replaced by access to the interior region which is achieved byremoving the first head without removing the plurality of first poppetvalves from the housing.
 13. The process of claim 12, wherein: the oneor more product poppet valves secured to the second head; and each ofthe one or more product poppet valves has a valve cross sectional areadisposed at least partially within the interface cross sectional area ofthe adsorbent bed.
 14. The process of claim 13, wherein there is aplurality of product poppet valves secured to the second head.
 15. Theprocess of claim 11, wherein the housing is configured to maintain apressure from 5 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) and 1,400 psia.16. The process of claim 12, wherein the plurality of first poppetvalves are each an actively-controlled valve.
 17. The process of claim14, wherein the plurality of product poppet valves are each anactively-controlled valve.
 18. The process of claim 1, furthercomprising wherein the fluid flow is hindered from flowing between thehousing and the adsorbent bed by a bypass seal disposed between theadsorbent bed and the housing.
 19. The process of claim 1, furthercomprising a flow vane disposed within the first head which distributesthe fluid flow from the feed inlet conduit to the adsorbent bed.
 20. Theprocess of claim 1, further comprising wherein feed inlet conduitcomprises one or more structural elements to direct the flow through thefeed inlet conduit to maintain a near plug flow regime through theconduit.